California Beaches Blog

Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, where the delightful, crowd-pleasing duck parade happens each day, is  the host hotel for a travel trends forum event that will feature  Helen N. Marano from the Office of Travel and Tourism Industries. The director shares information about the outlook for international travel at the 2009 Marketing Outlook Forum with John Koldowski, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Head-Office of Strategic Management, Pacific Area Travel Association.

International Travel Trends and Forecast Data from U.S. Travel Association’s Annual Marketing Outlook Forum will provide a glimpse into what everyone expect in the next year or two. From travelers looking for budget hotels and cheap flights to travel industry pros trying to reduce the red ink, the travel industry impacts anyone who takes a vacation.

Some recent trends from the U.S. Department of Commerce include:

• 3.6 million international visitors traveled to the U.S. in June,
• 11 % decrease between month of June 2009 and  month of June 2008 occured in international travel to U.S.
• 10 % decrease in total U.S. visitation from Jan-Jun 2009 compared to the same period of 2008
• 22% decrease in June spending (compared to June 2008) for international travelers who spent $9.6 billion
• June 2009 marked the eighth consecutive month of decreases in international visitors spending

Marano analyzes recent travel trends and forecasts for international inbound travel to the United States’ major markets in 2010 and beyond.

Koldowski, based in Bangkok, will share his “in-market” perspective on what is happening in Asia and what to expect in the year ahead. The session will be moderated by Terry Berggren, Director, Destination Marketing, Ruf Strategic Solutions.

This panel presentation will take place from 10:45 a.m. until 12:00 noon on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at the U.S. Travel Association’s Annual Marketing Outlook Forum. See: ustravel.org/industrymeet/MOF/index.html